Dreaming of a Delta Quadrant Christmas
by peacerose47
Summary: aka "Deck the Mess Hall with Boughs of Holly". This was written mainly to chase away my Christmas Blues, but it's a short sweet piece you might enjoy. Merry Christmas!


When she had been a child, Kathryn Janeway could hardly wait for Christmas. The tree with all the colourful lights, the decorations around the house, and the presents on Christmas morning were a world of delight for a young child. But growing older and more mature, she had lost that sense of wonderment for that time of year, and it was only now, being so far from home, that had made her realize the value of spending the holiday with her family. She missed that now. She knew it was more than simple insomnia that had brought her to the messhall at 2300 hours, when all sensible off-duty personnel were in bed. Kathryn would never admit it to the crew, but she was homesick. She missed Earth, she missed her family, and she would give anything to see her dog Molly again. She knew she wasn't the only one having these kinds of thoughts, either. Most of the crew were aware that on Earth right now, the date was December 24th. Their families and loved ones at home would be preparing for Christmas, and they couldn't be there. It was enough to make anyone depressed.

The swish of the doors opening interrupted her melancholy thoughts, and she turned to see Neelix standing just inside the doorway. "I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't mean to disturb you," he said. "I just came to check on the cake batter I started earlier before I go to bed. It has to sit for 24 hours you see, and if it's not done right…"

"It's alright, Neelix. You didn't disturb me."

Neelix looked sceptical, but went into the kitchen without another word. The Captain turned back to the viewport and tried to block out the sounds he made pottering about in the kitchen. It disturbed her quiet. She wanted quiet.

"Captain…" Damn. "While you're here, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Well, you see, Kes and I have been noticing lately that most of the crew seem a little… depressed. And if I may say so, Captain, you're not looking too cheerful yourself. I just wanted to know if there's something wrong that maybe I can help with as Morale Officer."

The reflection of the stars in the dark liquid of her coffee suddenly seemed very interesting to Janeway. "It's probably Christmas," she said at last.

"Christmas?"

"It's an Earth holiday," she explained. "Every year, people get together with their loved ones to spend time together and exchange gifts and have a good time. It's supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year."

There was a brief silence, then Neelix asked, "Were you always happy at Christmas time?"

"Yes, I was. It was a lot of fun. We would have all the family together, the relatives, and all our friends would be there. We would have a huge Christmas dinner." She smiled at the memories now floating through her mind. "My sister and I would always go out to find a Christmas tree and one of the neighbours would help us chop it down and bring it home. Mom never liked the artificial trees. She preferred a real one. Of course," she chuckled, "it would take us hours to get the tree because we had to find the _perfect one_ , and because we spent so much time playing in the snow on the way."

She realized then that sometime while she had been talking, Neelix had come over and sat on a chair beside her to watch her reminisce.

"You miss being with your family for Christmas," he said simply.

Janeway smiled slightly at his intuitiveness. "Yes, I suppose I do," she said.

A silence once again settled, and Janeway glanced over at Neelix to see a look of thoughtfulness on his face. "When is Christmas?" he asked after a minute.

"Tomorrow."

"If we had more time I could have planned a celebration on the holodeck," he mused. "Something with… snow. But what if we could do something now? Something smaller, but which would raise the crew's spirits."

Christmas in the Delta Quadrant? Stranger things have happened. "We could decorate the messhall, I suppose," she said finally.

"And I could look in the database for recipes for a Christmas dinner," Neelix joined in excitedly.

"We could even replicate a small Christmas tree to put in the corner."

"I might be able to find a few spare rations for some little gifts for the crew."

"It's a pity we can't have snow," Janeway said wistfully.

Neelix gave her sympathetic pat on her shoulder. "We can have snow next year," he said. "On the holodeck." Then with an enormous grin on his face, he jumped up from his chair and offered Janeway a hand. "Let's get this party started," he said.

=/\= =/\= =/\=

When the first crewmembers entered the messhall the next morning, they came to a sudden stop just inside the doors and stared in shock. A long, green bough ran like a border around the wall of the entire room, decorated with tinsel and fairy lights and small, shiny baubles. Tablecloths featuring a poinsettia design graced every table and there was even a tiny Christmas tree in the far corner. It couldn't have been more than two feet high, but it was a Christmas tree all the same, complete with decorations and tiny gift packages hanging on the branches.

Neelix, who had traded his chef's hat for a red-and-white Christmas hat, watched the surprise and delight of every crewmember that came in the messhall that morning. Even the Vulcans raised an eyebrow, which Neelix took to be a good sign. He had combed the ship's database for recipes for Earth delicacies, and had planned special meals for the entire day, ending with a huge Christmas dinner feast. He watched the crewmembers' smiles and even heard some laughter, and found himself thanking the stars that he had run into the Captain last night.

"What's all this?" Tom Paris asked, gesturing at the room. "Neelix, how long have you been planning this?"

"Oh, I didn't plan anything," Neelix told him. "It seems that Father Christmas decided to pay us a visit last night." A wave of laughter swept the room at his joke. He didn't really know who Father Christmas was; that was simply what the Captain had suggested he say when people asked. He and the Captain had decided to keep what transpired last night between themselves. It was so much nicer, Neelix felt, to watch someone enjoying something without expecting any glory for it. He would never tell anyone how the two of them had spent most of the early hours decorating the messhall, and had not crept into their beds until well past 0300 that morning. He didn't feel tired, though, because he was surrounded by his friends who were finally happy again, and he was content with the knowledge that he had helped put those smiles on their faces.

When the Captain arrived at the messhall, Neelix was delighted to see a huge smile brighten her visage when she saw everyone enjoying themselves. He poured a drink for her and handed it over with a greeting of "Merry Christmas, Captain."

"Merry Christmas, Neelix. It may not be a winter wonderland, but I'm glad the crew's enjoying it."

"Everybody seems so much happier now." As if to prove his point, a sudden loud laugh rang through the room, earning Ensign McKenzie a few sideways glances and indulgent smiles.

"I've already asked Tom to help me program something on the holodeck for next year," Neelix told Janeway, handing her a plate of waffles. "He said he'd start planning right away. You know, I think if we do this every year, it should keep crew morale from getting that low again. This was a really good idea."

"If you do say so yourself." Janeway took a sip of her drink and seemed surprised at its flavour. "That's not coffee."

"It's eggnog," Neelix informed her. "Maybe not quite like your mother used to make, but I tried to stick to the recipe I found to keep it as authentic as possible. I hope you'll come back for dinner tonight. Just wait till you see what I've got!"

"I'm sure it'll be wonderful," the Captain agreed. She turned to scan the room for an empty seat, and Neelix saw Tom Paris and Harry Kim wave her over to their table.

He was glad he decided to make that cake batter yesterday. Otherwise he wouldn't have gone back to the messhall to check on it, and he wouldn't have run into the Captain, and then everyone wouldn't be as happy as they were now. That cake would have a place of honour among the desserts tonight. He would spend all day cooking and baking, and he'd be tired by the time the day was over, but it would be worth it. Everyone else was happy, and that made him happy. Humming cheerfully to himself as he served more breakfasts, Neelix decided that he liked Christmas. At first it had challenged his job as morale officer, but in the end the celebration seemed to have cured the homesickness the season had created in the crew. And he would make sure that next year's celebration would be even better. Neelix could hardly wait for next Christmas.


End file.
